


The Unforgiven

by thedeviltohisangel



Category: Daredevil (TV), The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Angry Frank Castle, F/M, frank is dating a businesswoman, one shot series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-30
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-02-08 16:37:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12868626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedeviltohisangel/pseuds/thedeviltohisangel
Summary: Series of one shots surrounding Frank Castle and Amelia, a high powered Wall Street businesswoman





	1. I'm Not Blind

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FFanon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FFanon/gifts).



> hope you guys enjoy please send in any scenarios you might like to see!

Her dad loved Christmas. He followed his traditions and looped her and her siblings into them as soon as he could. No carols until after Thanksgiving, don’t rush it he would always say. To keep it the most wonderful time of the year, it has to stay special and unique.

Amelia watched carefully as her assistant hung a string of lights over the wall of windows in her office. The rest of the building had been decorated over the weekend but she had wanted to be there for her space.

“It looks amazing, Chloe. We’ve really outdone ourselves this year.”

“I believe we have, Miss Thorn. Do you need anything else before I step out for the weekend?” Amelia shook her head before spinning her chair back around to the blueprints she had been examining prior to decorating. Christmas had always been a happy time for her but in recent years it was surrounded by the inevitability of saying goodbye to Frank for a time.

Her fingers found themselves wrapped around the tiny bar necklace he had gifted her for her birthday a few months back. Engraved on it was a tiny letter ‘F’ which you wouldn’t be able to see unless you were looking for it, or in her case, feeling for it. Waiting up for him was a part of her daily happenings and rubbing the tiny dent of the letter had become a sort of tick for her. It was silly but part of her thought it was the same as a magic lamp; rub it and perhaps your wishes will be granted. The only wish of hers that hasn’t was for the possibility of Frank being integrated into her family. She ran her family business with the help of her brothers and father, so she saw them everyday. More often than not they would make comments in passing about her perceived single life. Her father criticized that she was too invested in work and needed to take a step back for herself. Her brothers jeered that soon her beauty would fade and then no one would want her.

They didn’t know and they couldn’t know. Frank was the love of her life. He knew her before they had ever met. All of their firsts had felt like mere continuations from a past life. As if everything that had been through was just a way for their souls to find their way back to each other. She wanted to tell her family this. Put Frank on a pedestal for them to revere and fall in love with the way she had. She wanted her mother to offer him to all natural cookies and he’d pretend he liked them because he would never want to disappoint her. He’d spend the afternoon on her brother’s boat, the gun range with the other.

Instead he was a man shrouded in darkness. The light would burn him. Frank always said he was her protector but Amelia kept his shadow strong and sure in order to protect him. Her greater happiness was not worth any harm coming to him. She sacrificed her future for his present.

Her thumb brushed against the letter one more time before she got back to work.

“Was that my Christmas gift?” Amelia giggled as her chest heaved with the exertion and excitement from her steamy activities with Frank.

“Then it’d be Christmas everyday.” She rolled on top of him and captured his lips in a burning kiss.

“I missed you last night.” She had made every effort to wait for him but exhaustion had won the battle. He brought his hand to cup her cheek, his thumb running over the soft skin there. She mirrored his motions on his face, his lips puckering to place kisses on her fingers. “I had to watch like ten episodes of Friends by myself.” He chuckled.

“Sorry, princess. Tried to do more last night so I could spend more time with you before you left for Christmas.” Her hands wrapped around his neck and she pulled him up so his lips connected with hers.

“Don’t talk about that. Don’t want to rush it.”

“One day you’ll use that big brain in your pretty head and fall in love with someone who can pass the cranberry sauce to your dad at Thanksgiving.”

“Too bad I’ve been tainted by the big, bad Punisher and no man will ever be able to love me the way he does.” That earned her a chuckle, rolling onto her back and locking her fingers in between his. “One day we’ll have our own Thanksgiving, Frank.” She had whispered that last part to him. So badly did she want to have a normal life with the man she loved but long ago she had realized she could only have one or the other. And she would always choose Frank.

“You know I would give you the world if I could,” he responded. Deep down they both knew he was talking about exchanging a ring with her in a white dress or welcoming home a bundle made from the two of them.

“We have forever to figure it out, yeah?”

“Sounds good to me, princess.” He connected his lips back to hers and gave her a few more gifts until the sun went down.

“Green bean casserole is amazing, Mom.” Amelia held a forkful in her mother’s direction before it went into her mouth.

“Thank you, my Lili. Now I wouldn’t be a good mother if I didn’t ask a few personal questions of my children.” By that her mother just meant interrogating her. Both of her brothers were married with children, her mother couldn’t ask for anymore besides Amelia joining them in these accomplishments.

“I’ll save you the trouble. I am single still and am not pregnant. At least that I know of.” That earned her a glare from her father at the head of the table. “I’m a workaholic, Mom. Dad raised me in his image.”

“That was what I was afraid of.” It was her mother’s turn to cast a glare.

“Auntie ‘melia your purse is vibrating.” Amelia followed the tiny finger of her niece which was pointing to her purse.

“Thank you, Rosie.” Amelia excused herself from the table and made her way over to her bag by the door. It wasn’t her usual phone that was ringing, it was the burner phone Frank had given so they could have a secure line of communication whenever they wished.

“Hello?” she whispered and moved closer to the door in order to engage in a private conversation.

“Hey, princess. You wanna come outside for a minute?”

“Frank…”

“Trust me, baby, come on.” The line went dead. She grabbed her coat from the rack and quietly slipped outside. She walked to the end of the driveway and noticed a familiar truck parked a little ways down the road. A smile spread from within herself as she trudged her way through the snow to make her way to him. She watched as he opened the door and slid out, jogging to meet her. “You shouldn’t be walking in the snow with those fancy boots of yours.” He lifted her at her waist and threw her over his shoulder as she giggled.

“What on earth are you doing here?” she asked with a gasp as he placed her down once they reached the car. It was tucked ever so slightly in the woods for some seclusion.

“I wanted to see you on, Christmas, rudolph.” Her hand flew to her nose, feeling how frigid it was.

“I’m happy you’re here just wish you could, you know, come inside. My mom was gonna be putting dessert out soon.” He looked down at his feet and scuffed his boots against the snow. Amelia stepped forwards and brought her hands to cup his cheeks. “I love you, Frank Castle. Christmas dinner or not.”

“Amelia…”

“I know you can’t say it. Just know that I mean it.” He brushed his thumbs against her cheeks one last time before taking a step back.

“You should get back in there with your family. There probably wondering where…where you wandered to.”

“Will you be home when I get back tomorrow?” Amelia didn’t know why but her heart was racing. She felt anxious and like she was losing control. “We could g for walk. I’ll show you my horse.”

“I’m gonna be spending more time in Brooklyn. At the safe house. Got some things to take care of.”

“Frank if it’s because of what I said-” Tears were pooling in her eyes. It felt like a goodbye. He spared her one last glance before he got in his truck and pulled away. Leaving her alone and empty.


	2. Take Me Back

Amelia was never one to prefer baking. She was always more of a cook, making everything from scratch and watching anxiously as she let others try it.   
She started baking at the same time the nightmares did. Whenever she couldn’t sleep she’d roll out of bed and into her kitchen, scrolling through the internet in the hopes of a recipe sparking a tingle on her fingertips and tastebuds.   
Tonight was no different. The nightmare tumbled around in her mind; golden eyes burning, a man being lit on fire and choking on the oxygen in the air.   
Frank was gone for the night. Amelia wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing or who he was taking care of. In the time since she had saved him she had been in a daze. Confused but also curious. Clouded but many things also seemed so much more clear.   
Max stood up expectantly as she sat up in bed. He was probably hoping she was waking up to play fetch with him. She wrapped a robe around herself and padded into the kitchen.   
Her fingers found the light and she pulled a bone out of the cabinet, giving it to Max as a sort of thank you for his endless companionship.   
“What about pumpkin for tonight’s flavor, hm?” She scratched behind his ears as she began to search for a recipe. “Have to ring in the new season.”   
She found the ingredients and put them all onto her kitchen island, slowly following the recipe until they went into the oven and cinnamon filled her apartment. Her eyes stayed focused on the window as she waited for Frank to eventually walk through. He always had and in her mind she had convinced herself he always would.   
The timer startled her as it went off, Amelia slipping on her baby pink oven mitts in order to slide them out.   
“Something steaming from the oven doesn’t sound too bad right now.” She looked over to see Frank had finally found his way back to her.   
“I didn’t think the smell would be strong enough to bring over the strays.” He chuckled at her, wiping his mouth with a paper towel so he could place a kiss on top of her head. “Did you have a good night?”  
“I was until I saw the light on and knew you weren’t sleeping again.”   
“It hurts, Frank,” she whispered. He dropped his vest.  
“I know it does. I wish I knew how to make it stop.” It was then he noticed the gentle tremor in her hand as she moved the cookies from the tray to a cooling rack.   
“I made pumpkin cookies. Want to try one?” He took one off the rack and bit into it gently, keeping his eyes on her.   
“What’re our next steps?”  
“Getting you cleaned up and put to bed. It hurts a little less when you’re with me.”  
“Go get comfy and I’ll join you in a bit, ok?” She nodded back and kissed him gently before turning to head back into their room with Max following dutifully after her. Frank watched her walk away with a heavy heart. That night, on the pier, he thought was going to be his last and Amelia’s. He had stared down the barrel of the gun hoping the longer he could keep the bastard talkin then the longer she had to run far, far away.   
But has he was about to pull the trigger and Frank was muttering a goodbye to Amelia and wondering if he would end up seeing his family again, she was in front of him. Her red dress glowed gold as she threw up her hands, thinking if she could stop the bullet then Frank would live.   
The bullet burned to ashes as it travelled, it didn’t even come near her, them. Her arms dropped and the man who had shot the gun only had a moment left before he too began to glow from the inside, joining the bullet on the ground in a pile of dust. Amelia turned to face him, her hair flowing behind her as if she was caught in a wind storm though the air surrounding Frank was still. Where her eyes were supposed to be were golden, molten circles.

Frank shut off the shower as the night came to an end in his mind. With a gray towel around his waist he padded into her bedroom. Amelia was lying with her head on Max’s side, stroking him softly.  
“Feel better?” Her eyes flicked to his form as he stood at the end of the bed. “I almost fell asleep in the tub tonight.” Frank walked over to the side of the bed and kneeled down so his face was level with hers.   
“Come out with me tomorrow night. We can find some empty warehouse to practice.” Her fingers found his forearm where she rubbed his skin soothingly.   
“I don’t scare you?” His hand cupped her cheek.   
“You were going to take a bullet for me. That’s the only thing I’m scared of. Losing you. And if this...these abilities can help keep you safe we’re gonna make sure you know how to use them.”  
“Will David be upset if you spend the night here with me?” Frank snorted.  
“He’ll get a better night’s sleep without my snoring and pacing.” Amelia propped herself up on her elbows and placed a gentle kiss to the bridge of his nose.   
“I wish you would let me buy you those nose strips. Your snoring is a pain sometimes.” Frank hummed as she continued to plant kisses all around his face.   
“So is waking up to think you’ve suffocated yourself with the blankets pulled over your head.”  
“I like to be cozy, Francis. And they muffle your snoring.” Looking into her eyes, how soft they were as they looked at him and his rough edges. He’d only ever known one other person to look at him such a love and devotion. Amelia told him she loved him many times. But never just casual. She always meant it and the moment always deserved it. He couldn’t say the words because he couldn’t bring himself to admit such strong feelings after everything that had happened. To let himself recognize how close and vulnerable he had gotten since the day he swore he never would.   
So instead he dropped his nose to the side of hers and nuzzled her skin softly. Frank hoped with everything in him that she felt the love seep into her skin through his and all the other physical affections he bestowed upon her.   
“Sleepy time?” she whispered as if she was sharing a secret only meant for him and his soul.   
“Yeah, princess. Let the Punisher scare away those nightmares.” His smirk was the closest he would ever get to a full smile ever again and she had learned to appreciate them.   
“What would my name be? We should start thinking of one. I’ll ask Karen at lunch tomorrow.”  
“You’re already my hero, without a stupid name.”  
“Oh shush, Frank.” Hidden in his words were I love you.


	3. Baby, I Am Not Afraid

Josie’s was the type of place Amelia wished fit easier into her lifestyle. It was rundown, frequented by some questionable people and tucked into its own little corner of the city that felt like it’s own world. She couldn’t help but feel out of place as she walked in, her black heels announcing her arrival just as soon as the squeaky door had.

“You always dress like that when you go to a bar?” She blushed as Frank’s gruff voice called to her from where he sat a couple of booths from the door.

“I came from work,” she said with a grin as she went to slide across from him. “I came home for lunch and when you weren’t resting in bed…” Her eyes formed two slits as she let him absorb the full disapproval her look could convey.

“I left you a note. Don’t think I didn’t know what would run through your mind.” Karen had asked Amelia to harbor Frank while he recovered a couple months ago and now that he was healed and mobile she was having trouble keeping track of him.

“I made a promise to Karen you’d be safe.”

“I’m a big boy.” She scoffed at him. “Let me buy you a drink before we discuss my future living arrangement.”

“I’ll take a cranberry vodka.” Amelia watched him walk away as her heart started to race. Was Frank trying to move out on her? Though he had been unconscious for some of the time he’d been her roommate, she had grown accustomed to seeing the burly man whenever she walked through the doors. Never would she ever admit it, but having her within her walls made her corner of the city feel that much safer. She gave him a shy smile as he returned with her drink. “I used to come here a lot when I was younger and more stupid. I met a guy when he was out busking, let him take me here every Friday night for a drink. One day he just didn’t show up, you know? Like it was easier to let me figure it out than have him tell me. Never knew his name or number or anything just...I looked forward to those Friday nights. Haven’t been to Josie’s since.”

“I didn’t mean to drudge bad memories by suggesting this place.” He took a sip of his beer as he watched her intently.

“No, I know. You’re one of the only people I know who can read people accurately. I know you would never make a flippant decision when it comes to…” She was about to finish the sentence with me but stopped herself before she exposed her inner truth too prematurely. “You were saying something about your future living arrangement?” He cleared his throat and pulled himself towards the back of his seat, granting himself a little bit of distance from the intoxicating scent of her YSL perfume.

“I found a place. Queens. I think it’s better suited for me and the life I need to lead now that...now that everything’s over.” She had been the first one to greet him after he burned his vest and decided it was all over.

“Okay.” It was all she said. There was so much more she wanted to say; she wanted to beg and plead him to stay with her where she could keep him safe and just enjoy the simplicity that was Frank. But if she said anything of those thing she was sure it would only serve to push him away. So she kept quiet.

“Okay,” he echoed as he watched her silently. He couldn’t help but feel a slight pull in his chest at the disappointment that she hadn’t tried to fight him on this issue. If Frank had learned anything about Amelia during the time he had stayed with her it was that she enjoyed putting up a fight and making her opinion known. Many of their dinners had ended in fiery discussions, him always being the one to cave to acquiesce back into her good graces. He could never stand a woman he cared about being mad at him.

“I should go. You know my usual work schedules if you wanna, uh, pack up your stuff without me being the way tomorrow.” She could never be in the way.

“It’ll be like I was never there.” Their eyes looked as he spoke those words. Both of them knew that it was an empty, meaningless statement. The moments they had shared in those past few months were not ones forgotten simply by the removal of his things.

“Walk me home?” She had a driver who was waiting to pick her up, and Frank knew that too, but any bit of this current life that she could still live, she wanted. He nodded, walking over to the bar to settle his tab before rushing back over to help Amelia into her coat. The pair began the walk in the winter air silently, Frank trying to shorten his gait in order to keep pace with her.

“I’m still gonna check in on you. You know that, right?” Her arm slid into the hole his had made from his hands being in his pocket, her head resting on his bicep as she sighed.

“My own personal, shadowy bodyguard.” He chuckled at that.

“You took such good care of me, it’s only right I return the favor.”

“Well, if you even are in need of a warm meal or hug or bed or a slap in the face then I’ll be willing to continue taking care of you as well.” It felt good for Frank to have someone want to take care of him again. He’ll never forget the way she scoffed that first week when Frank admitted he was perfectly fine with a cold can of beans for dinner. She had practically ripped the can from his hands, Frank’s strong grip defenseless against her convictions that he was eating her risotto with clams whether he liked it or not.

“You know, Max is probably going to need to visit you and Lucy pretty often.” Lucy was Amelia’s kitten whom Max had taken a strong liking to.

“Do you trust him to make it to my apartment by himself?” She was teasing. Frank hadn’t even left yet and she was already aching to see him again.

“Pretty independent boy. Just like his friends.” They eventually came to a stop in front of her building.

“You want to come up or is this the last time I get to see you?” She meant for it to come across as a joke but her heart broke just at the mere inkling she might never see him again.

“I better not. Might not come back down.” He’d been living on a high ever since he met her. A euphoria that was dangerous for a man like Frank who normally prided himself on severing ties.

“Goodbye, Frank Castle. You know where I live if you…” Amelia wanted to say if he needed a meal, needed a place to sleep, needed to let her know that he was still alive. Instead of saying goodbye and shaking her hand, he kissed her. Frank put her head between his two hands that managed to be warm in the winter and captured her lips with his. She bumped her nose against his with a smile as he pulled away.

“That’s in case you don’t see me again.” And then he was gone. Hood up, he stalked away from her building with a powerful stride that made her heart thump louder and louder.

“Fuck you, Frank,” she whispered with a smile.


End file.
